Yesterday a brand new trailer for The West Wing dropped and if you haven’t watched it, be prepared for the chills it will send up your spine. The theme music alone (music from W. G. Snuffy Walden) is enough to stir up great memories and grand emotions.
The show ran from 1999-2006 and, during its tenure, it garnered an enormous commercial and critical success, and yes, its fair share of criticism. The year the show ended I was 9-years-old but fortunately in 2015, it reran on Netflix and I binged every episode, multiple times.
The current production is raising funds for When We All Vote, a nonpartisan organization co-chaired by Michelle Obama, Tom Hanks, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Janelle Monae, Chris Paul, Faith Hill and Tim McGraw, designed to increase voter participation.
Whatever your politics, it’s hard not to admit that Aaron Sorkin’s writing was brilliant – The West Wing’s dialogue and dramatic flair were, and remain, second to none.
But what really captures the hearts of fans like me is the show’s relentless optimism: its insistence that politics and government can be a force for good. Each episode of The West Wing serves as a 45 minute reminder that politics on both sides of the aisle, at its finest, can be the noblest of callings.
As President Bartlett wisely said, “Decisions are made by those who show up.” So, get out there and vote!
The special airs on HBO Max on Oct. 15.
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